Spring arrives with launch of local racing carnival

Eight-year-old horse French Gift walks to shore at Horseshoe Beach, as part of the launch of the Newcastle Spring Racing Carnival. (ABC Local: Robert Virtue)

The NJC Spring Racing Carnival is on September 18th and 19th 2015. (ABC Local: Robert Virtue)

The carnival will be the last before the Broadmeadow racecourse is redeveloped. (ABC Local: Robert Virtue)

The Newcastle racing event is seen as a chance for horses to prepare before major metropolitan races. (ABC Local: Robert Virtue)

Spring - it's a glorious time of year where flowers burst into bloom, pollen blows lightly on the breeze, and the sun's warmth increasingly bleeds into our days.

It's also the time of year where punters, women in frilly frocks and men in suits converge on racecourses to get a glimpse of the hottest horses on the track.

Spring racing season has arrived in Newcastle.

The Newcastle Jockey Club (NJC) officially launched their spring carnival this morning, as the first golden rays of sun peeked over the horizon at Horseshoe Beach.

A different season ahead

This year's spring racing carnival will take a different format, with the NJC moving the event from its traditional Wednesday and Thursday fixture, to this year being held on a Friday and Saturday - September 18th and 19th.

The CEO of the Newcastle Jockey Club, Cameron Williams, says the decision was made to make horse racing more accessible to the community.

"What we can expect to see is hopefully a larger crowd to see a slightly re-structured program as well, whereby we run our four feature races all on the Friday, including the Newcastle Cup," he says.

"Coming to the races mid-week was proving to be difficult for a lot of people ... [So] the decision was made to give Novocastrians and other race goers the opportunity to come along.

"This way they can hopefully get a Friday afternoon off and stay the night and come back on Saturday for Ladies Day."

Outlook for racing

Mr Williams says the mood among the racing fraternity is one of positivity about the quality of racing that will be on show this spring.

He says the carnival will also be the last before the Broadmeadow racecourse is redeveloped.

"Our main race track is performing quite well," he says.

"This will be a bit of a historic moment too - it will be the last time people will see the current course in action. We'll be ripping that up after the Spring Carnival and redeveloping that at around a $6 million price tag.

"What we're talking about now is a complete redesign and rebuild, from below the surface with full drainage right to the top.

"It is a major hallmark for the club, and it'll see us as having one of the leading tracks in the state."